Headrow House Bouncer ‘Relieved of his Duties’ Following Alleged Assault on Leeds Student

A University of Leeds student was reportedly assaulted by a bouncer last night at Headrow House, at club night Bobby’s Disco. The student, George Blackshaw, is a double-amputee, following an accident with a lawnmower at 16 months old.

The incident reportedly happened around 3:15am, after George was removed from the venue for spilling a drink. One witness recalled seeing the bouncer hit 19-year-old Blackshaw on the head, causing him to fall.

Upon falling, he hit his head on the pavement, splitting it open. One eyewitness reported seeing George on the pavement outside the gates of Headrow House, bleeding. They said that he was surrounded by people but that “the bouncers, stood a few metres away, seemed unconcerned”.

Blackshaw, who was later taken to hospital, sustained a head wound requiring ten stitches.

Speaking to the BBC, Blackshaw said that he spilled the drink when “someone knocked [him] from behind.

“The bouncer came straight over and he never gave me a warning, he just grabbed me and was forcing me down the stairs.

“I can’t remember much, but witnesses said he punched me and knocked me down to the floor. He didn’t even try and help me, which I thought was very poor.”

“[The bouncer] hit him on top of his head and George went down on the pavement and his head split open.”

Zoe Moles, a third-year medical student, witnessed the incident and helped provide medical assistance before he was taken to hospital. She recalled:

“[The bouncer] lifted his hand up and hit him on top of his head and George went down on the pavement and his head split open. [He then] went back inside and we didn’t see him again”.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed that they were called at around 3:15am this morning, to a report that a male had been assaulted on the Headrow in Leeds. West Yorkshire Police said that they are in the early stages of an inquiry into the incident.

In a Facebook post , George’s aunt requested that anyone with information contact her, telling that George was knocked unconscious and therefore didn’t see anything himself.

In the post’s comments, other alleged incidents with Headrow House bouncers came to light. One comment read: “One of them put their hands around my throat despite me having already resolved the issue with the other bouncer.”

Headrow House released the following statement: “The management team and security provider for Headrow House have now completed a full and thorough internal investigation into an incident which occurred at Headrow House in the early hours of Tuesday 11th December 2018.

“We can confirm that the member of the security team involved in the incident has been relieved of his duties effective immediately and we’d like to take this opportunity to apologise wholeheartedly to George. We will continue to work with all parties, including West Yorkshire Police, during the ongoing investigation.”

Showsec International Ltd, the company which employed the bouncer, also stated: “It was found that a member of the team acted against policy and our company standards and we have taken action. They will not work for Showsec in the future.”